Concerns Raised About Acton Police Station Workload

Will be just one of 8 stations in London with 24/7 public access

Acton Police Station reception area. Picture: Met Police

July 22, 2025

The front desk at Acton Police Station seems to have survived a cull by the Met with will see more than half of its public facing counters close, but concerns are being raised about it being overwhelmed.

Plans have been revealed to reduce the number of stations at which members of the public can turn up to report crimes from 37 to 19 with just 8, including Acton, operating for 24 hours.

This potentially means that the local station would be the main point of face-to-face contact for a population area of nearly 2 million people. This assumes that the station becomes responsible for the populations of the West London Basic Command Unit and the South West London Basic Command Unit which together cover seven boroughs including Ealing.

The Liberal Democrats on Ealing Council have described the decision to close the front desks, including the one at Hammersmith, as shocking and said that it is being done with no consultation or notice. They claim that the changes could potentially double the number of walk-in inquiries staff receive.

38 of 73 police stations including Ealing and Chiswick were closed in the run up to 2017 and, at this time the stated policy was that there would be one point of 24/7 public access in every borough.

It is now expected that Twickenham and Merton will lose their counters in South-West London! This means Acton Police Station will now likely be additionally addressing crimes coming in from Richmond Borough including the Twickenham area which is set to lose its counter.

Police officers will still see individuals in person by appointment which you can arrange by dialling 101.

The decision has been made in order to cover the Met’s £260 million budget shortfall. The rationale for the closures is the reduction in the proportion of crimes being reported in person which has fallen from 22% to 5% over the last few years.

Councillor Connie Hersch - Crime, Anti-Social Behaviour, Communities and Culture said, "Liberal Democrats believe that the closure of more Police stations will undermine the intent of the Met police to build trusted relationships with people. Given the increase in crime and antisocial behaviour especially around our train and tube transport hubs, the decision to axe half of London's police counters will come as a massive shock to many Londoners. It does send the wrong message and is yet more evidence that the Labour Mayor of London is failing its residents by not making the case to the Labour Government for the funding needed to keep London and Londoners safe."

Councillor Gary Malcolm - Leader of the Opposition added, “This is yet another sign that London’s policing is struggling as crime rises, both locally and across the capital. With the police less visible and accessible to the public, local residents will rightly be worried about their safety and the ability to report crime easily. Acton police station will be one of only eight 24/7 police stations across London is truly shocking! The Labour Government must urgently commit to funding the Metropolitan Police properly to rebuild community policing across London before it’s too late.”

A Met Police spokesman said, “Just five per cent of crimes were reported using front counters last year, with the vast majority of Londoners doing it over the phone, online, or in person with officers elsewhere.

“Given the Met’s budget shortfall and shrinking size, it is no longer sustainable to keep all front counters open.

“That’s why we have taken the tough choice to pursue some closures and a reduction in hours – allowing us to focus resources relentlessly on tackling crime and putting more officers into neighbourhoods across London.”